Coaster - Member - The Prepared

Discussions

Reply to: Rocket stove recommendations? Posted November 14, 2022

I have two. One is a larger one that I picked up for free that someone who has a plasma cutter made as a project then just got tired of it taking up space. It’s about 4ft tall and sort of shaped like the Eifel tower. Just before I found the big one I bought a smaller portable one from Amazon to throw in the truck for camping. It’s compact but heavy. Camping Rocket Stove. It was quite a bit cheaper when I bought it a few years ago. We have enough trees that cleaning up sticks is nearly a full time job so I don’t worry about running out of fuel for them.

WAPI – Skip boiling and make water safe with less fuel

Gear 8

11

Posted October 24, 2022

Reply to: Why personal finance is critical for preppers and tips on money management Posted August 31, 2020

I found the chart at the tail end of paying off my debts and moving into saving more. Every time I do more research on what I should be doing to invest I come back to the chart and it is right. This leaves all the investing subreddits as not very useful to me since buy and hold low overhead mutual funds is not a hard strategy. For budgeting I would recommend a look at Aspire Budgeting. https://www.aspirebudget.com/ It is a free Google Sheet that is under active development. Getting started is a little bit of a hurdle however if you watch their Youetube videos it’s pretty simple after that. If you are struggling or have lots of free time reddit.com/r/Beermoney is great at giving insight on which survey and micro task sites are worth it. Trying to live off it would drive you insane but earning an extra $50-$100 a month isn’t hard. Another service I found helpful was Wealthfront https://www.wealthfront.com/c/affiliates/invited/AFFD-UCFE-2GYD-A4KX I had a collection of 401Ks from old jobs that were hard to manage and underperforming. Rolling them all into one place that is easy to manage has helped. Their Cash Accounts also pay way more interest than your banks savings account probably does to stash your emergency fund.

Reply to: Why personal finance is critical for preppers and tips on money management Posted August 31, 2020

A great starting point is to take a look at the flow chart in this Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/4gdlu9/how_to_prioritize_spending_your_money_a_flowchart/ It gives simple easy to follow steps to get you on the right track financially.

Reply to: My Minneapolis neighborhood is under siege. Here’s how I’m preparing, now Posted May 31, 2020

I haven’t been closely following what is happening in Minneapolis, just our local disturbances. The line here between peaceful protest and tear gas / rubber bullets / flash bangs is one water bottle. Even politicians have been pepper sprayed.

Reply to: My Minneapolis neighborhood is under siege. Here’s how I’m preparing, now Posted May 31, 2020

Even if you had everything on the list entering the melee of a riot isn’t a wise move. The prudent thing is to have enough supplies to lock down indoors until the unrest passes. Having a plan and a place to leave to if things get worse is the backup to that. If you believe in the cause or your duty as a journalist to wade in that is your decision. The article should reflect those decisions though. The people who need help during the riots almost certainly have chosen to be there, other than business owners trying to save their livelihoods. The first rule of first aid is to make sure the scene is safe before entering, otherwise you may just be an additional victim. Going into the riots to help is putting yourself at great risk to help others who chose to be in harm’s way. After the riots helping with donations and cleanup are a wonderful thing. Just be sure to assess the scene and be ready to leave at the first hint of conflict.

WAPI – Skip boiling and make water safe with less fuel

Gear 8

11

Posted October 24, 2022

Reply to: Rocket stove recommendations? Posted November 14, 2022

I have two. One is a larger one that I picked up for free that someone who has a plasma cutter made as a project then just got tired of it taking up space. It’s about 4ft tall and sort of shaped like the Eifel tower. Just before I found the big one I bought a smaller portable one from Amazon to throw in the truck for camping. It’s compact but heavy. Camping Rocket Stove. It was quite a bit cheaper when I bought it a few years ago. We have enough trees that cleaning up sticks is nearly a full time job so I don’t worry about running out of fuel for them.

Reply to: Why personal finance is critical for preppers and tips on money management Posted August 31, 2020

I found the chart at the tail end of paying off my debts and moving into saving more. Every time I do more research on what I should be doing to invest I come back to the chart and it is right. This leaves all the investing subreddits as not very useful to me since buy and hold low overhead mutual funds is not a hard strategy. For budgeting I would recommend a look at Aspire Budgeting. https://www.aspirebudget.com/ It is a free Google Sheet that is under active development. Getting started is a little bit of a hurdle however if you watch their Youetube videos it’s pretty simple after that. If you are struggling or have lots of free time reddit.com/r/Beermoney is great at giving insight on which survey and micro task sites are worth it. Trying to live off it would drive you insane but earning an extra $50-$100 a month isn’t hard. Another service I found helpful was Wealthfront https://www.wealthfront.com/c/affiliates/invited/AFFD-UCFE-2GYD-A4KX I had a collection of 401Ks from old jobs that were hard to manage and underperforming. Rolling them all into one place that is easy to manage has helped. Their Cash Accounts also pay way more interest than your banks savings account probably does to stash your emergency fund.

Reply to: Why personal finance is critical for preppers and tips on money management Posted August 31, 2020

A great starting point is to take a look at the flow chart in this Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/4gdlu9/how_to_prioritize_spending_your_money_a_flowchart/ It gives simple easy to follow steps to get you on the right track financially.

Reply to: My Minneapolis neighborhood is under siege. Here’s how I’m preparing, now Posted May 31, 2020

I haven’t been closely following what is happening in Minneapolis, just our local disturbances. The line here between peaceful protest and tear gas / rubber bullets / flash bangs is one water bottle. Even politicians have been pepper sprayed.

Reply to: My Minneapolis neighborhood is under siege. Here’s how I’m preparing, now Posted May 31, 2020

Even if you had everything on the list entering the melee of a riot isn’t a wise move. The prudent thing is to have enough supplies to lock down indoors until the unrest passes. Having a plan and a place to leave to if things get worse is the backup to that. If you believe in the cause or your duty as a journalist to wade in that is your decision. The article should reflect those decisions though. The people who need help during the riots almost certainly have chosen to be there, other than business owners trying to save their livelihoods. The first rule of first aid is to make sure the scene is safe before entering, otherwise you may just be an additional victim. Going into the riots to help is putting yourself at great risk to help others who chose to be in harm’s way. After the riots helping with donations and cleanup are a wonderful thing. Just be sure to assess the scene and be ready to leave at the first hint of conflict.